BY DAN VALENTI

The Planet is NOT in the business of Kingmaking

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, May 10, 2011) — The e-mail came in late last night, thanking The Planet for our endorsement of Dave Roche and citing that as a strong “contributing factor” in his decisive win in the Lenox select board race. The Planet gracously replied saying what we did prior about endorsements: They aren’t predictions of who will win but who assessments on who is most qualified.

Roche was clearly the best candidate of the four. He possesses experience in the private sector, in banking, entrepreneurship, and running his horse stables. The debate The Planet hosted for Berkshire Greens at the Lenox Library showed Roche at his best: deliberative, substantive, and possessed of an ability of knowing when to speak (and what to say) and when to hold his peace (and letting that serve as his “statement”). The heavy replay on TV of the debate meant that the one-hour+ was seen by the most voters of any other appearance in any other medium.

We find it amusing that our forum became one of the issues of the late campaign. They loved it. They hated it. That about conveys how people responded. No one, apparently, was indifferent to it. Backers found the forum refreshing, engaging, and good for the town. Critics accused The Planet of “Kingmaking” and “meddling with Lenox politics.” A backer of Kim Flynn accused us of working behind the scenes for Roche. We can only say no, this feverish statement has no validity or truth. We patiently listened, attributing it to the emotions of the election night of a losing candidate.

The Planet did think Eric Vincelette handled defeat well. He was gracious in his statements. He will also run again, he says.

Berkshire Greens and The Planet accomplished what we intended: Present a forum that would show the voters candidates with a bit of the guard down. The disarming conveys gads of information in the briefest amount of time. We have refined out “beer hall” style forum over the yeras, and we now have it to perfection. We intend to present several of these in the various Pittsfield races.

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A SALUTE and THANKS to HONEST COPS EVERYWHERE or STEROIDsGATE: IT AIN’T OVER TILL IT’S OVER

The Planet will not specify details, but we will say that we have received fresh information related to SteroidsGate that, if true, would be of rather spectacular nature. “SteroidsGate” is the catch-all label we have applied to the alleged presence of activity involving illegal substances within and among members of the Pittsfield Police Department as well as, in a more expansive sense, other alleged activity that, while it may (or my not) involve illegal substances, would, if true, certainly qualify as scandalous.

Everyone knows there are secrets in an organization such as a police departments. Some are justified in being kept because of the nature of police work. Some are not because of the nature of criminal activity. Police and associated personnel have the obligation not only to enforce the law but to follow the law. In fact, they have a higher obligation and thus should be held to HIGHER standards than the “ordinary citizen.” No honest cop will fear the sunshine. Rather, they will welcome scrutiny.

The Planet continues to thank those PPD personnel who continue to supply leads and information. They are doing the department, the city, the taxpayers, the electorate, and every citizen in town a huge public service. We can’t name names, obviously, but Touchdown, Goalpost, Red Dog, Zone D, and others know who they are. They can look themselves in the mirror and feel good. God looks on their actions and says, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

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THE PLANET IS OPEN TO GUEST POSTS AND GUEST COLUMNS, REGARDLESS OF POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, OR OTHER AFFILIATIONS. WE ONLY WANT GOOD THINKING, GOOD WRITING, AND GOOD ARGUMENTATION. IN PRINTING ALTERNATE VIEWS, WE AREN’T ENDORSING THE VIEWS. No, WE ARE PRESENTING ALTERNATIVE TAKES INTHE INTERESTS OF SERVING “THE FREE MARKETPLACE OF IDEAS.” WITH THAT, WE PRESENT THE FOLLOWING GUEST COLUMN:

I am caught between two incredibly important epochs. I was born in the late 80s, and was raised in a time of limited connectivity. When I wanted to play with a friend, I had to call their house and hope they were home, or if not, leave a message, if they had an answering machine. My choices in entertainment were reduced to whatever was broadcast, whatever was chosen by some invisible outside force to be shown.

The memories I had and shared with others were projected in a similar fashion. The images that defined my childhood were captured by professionals to be shown on conglomerate-controlled outlets, and discussed in such traditional arenas. Commentary, and thus the deciding of what was important to remember collectively, was left to those who were paid to do so in a professional capacity.

As I reached my teenage years everything changed. Text messaging on cell phones, constant communication, led to the public life as seen on Facebook and, more recently, Twitter. The images used to define those years were not captured by professionals but on grainy camera phone footage, shared virally and then picked up by the media machine. Commentary was all-inclusive, so that anyone with an Internet connection could give their two cents, whether informed or not. The viewer had a choice in what events and details and people and images were ingrained in the collective memory.

This is much like what Marita Sturken refers to as “cultural memory” in Tangled Memories, her treatise on the politics of remembering. In the book’s introduction, Sturken discusses at length the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. In an act of remembrance, family members leave personal tokens for loved ones lost and paid tribute to at the memorial. Pictures, cherished toys, cigarettes, a favorite beer—any and all items that helped to define a person through what they found special or enjoyed garnish the memorial.

These items represent personal memories, but once shared in a public context they become part of a cultural memory; individual tastes, relationships, vices, all enter a public light when presented publicly, as the individual helps make a collective memory along with countless other individuals.

Social media and its practitioners, particularly the members of my generation and younger who now live in public, make memory now in such a way. Collective memory is now molded by who was there, what they were able to capture, and how they are able to share it, more so than ever before. It could be said that every event on any scale is now shaped by a collective memory, one driven by the individual but shared by the group. Every party, sporting event, natural disaster, and political uprising is documented forever by the individual or a small group of individuals, and then left open to commentary by whoever cares to voice their opinion on it. Memory shifts, changes, but does so collectively.

And now, it does so permanently. These status updates and online images and videos are there forever, so that it is harder than ever to forget. A simple search brings back old memories and feelings, videos or written works of raw, instantaneous emotion.

Yes, we are a now generation, but no, we are not cows. I do sometimes worry about over-connectivity, of whether the younger generations raised with Facebook are missing something socially and if they will be able to appreciate the physical world around them. The intellectual potential is there, but is being used in different ways. A democratic discourse can be truly shaped for the first time ever. Events and emotions are documented in the present and may be revisited at any time. Truly forgetting is harder than it ever has been, and only becoming more difficult. Zarathustra will never come, but history’s course may be dictated by many voices.

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THE PLANET THANKS MR. STERN FOR HIS INTERESTING PIECE.

We would add this thought: Any discussion of the nature of memory in the age of Over- and Instant-Communication is not complete without a discussion of privacy. The notion of the “private” self has been altered, we see, for people younger than Mr. Stern. What are the consequences of this? The Planet contends they are more harmful than beneficial — not because of the nature of the technology but because of the use to which this technology is being put. We will not have this discussion now but only mention that it isn’t for nothing that porn is the #1-rated use of high communications technology by almost every demographic, markedly more so the YOUNGER the age.

If you wish to submit a column, please do so. We prefer minimum length of 500 words and maximum of 800. Any topic is fair game.

I thought this the appropriate medium and time to address some of the issues that have been discussed about me over the last few weeks as the campaign has now come to its end. I plan to make ONE statement, as clear, concise and complete as possible and be done with it. What the readers of this blog world do with it , is completely up to you, but if I may say, based on catching up with things on The Planet over the past few weeks, I’m sure most of it will be mean spirited and filled with partial truths, few facts, minus any humanity, enough of my preaching, here goes.
First, my relationship with Mr. Valenti. I met Dan thru my father, over a cup of coffee, as more of a meet and greet, friendly get together, we found common interests, in sports, and the like and that led to subsequent casual meetings, one was a radio show about unfunded liabilities, the other gathering for the Pittsfield Colonials ,where we were both invited by different people, at Dan’s favorite roadside eatery, Blantyre. The total number of times we have sat down and spoken is about 5 or 6. Thats the extent of it folks. So if that constitutes that we took some solemn oath to be blood brothers forever to you, then so be it.
Second,the word on the street after our debate was that I, the newcomer, had somehow pulled the strings behind the scenes, when it came to the debate. This again is completely untrue and inaccurate and gives me way too much credit. I am not a member of the Green Party, I ran as an independent. I did not have anything to do with who the Green Party chose as a moderator at all, they told me when and where and I showed up. And I had no idea what to expect from Dan or the debate , just like the other candidates, when I showed up. Whatever due diligence Dan did, he did on his own, thru his own sources , of which I am not privy. In fact, I actually tried to reach out to Dan about 5 days or so before the debate to make him aware of a potential issue of mine that had come out , that I thought he should be aware of as moderator, so he had the facts, AND HE REFUSED TO TAKE THE CALL OR COMMUNICATE BECAUSE HE WASN’T SPEAKING WITH THE OTHER CANDIDATES AND DIDN’T WANT ANY BIAS GOING INTO THE DEBATE.
And as far as my financial standing, again, if you have a problem with someone who is willing to work to no end to keep his house for his kids and put food on the table, then continue to take your childish pot shots, as you have been taking in blog world or if you are man enough,with a shred of integrity then personally reach out to me and I will be glad to take the time to address any of your concerns.
When I purchased my home in Lenox 7 years ago this month, I put 20% down, had an 800 credit score, plenty of savings , no extraneous debt outside of the mortgage and our total household was making in excess of $100,000 per year. More than enough to pay our bills and save for the future. We did extensive renovation, including a “mother in law suite”, famous last words and refinanced twice, but put everything back into our home, including our savings,the only home I have ever owned, to make it a family home. At the time I was doing a mix of general contracting, some real estate sales and had started to do some mortgages, fixed rate only, insurance and some mutual funds and retirement planning and making consistent money. January 1st 2007 we had a major medical issue affect our household, which not only affected the obvious things, but also the family finances as well. That coupled with the dried up construction, real estate and mortgage market made it extremely tough to make money. Now, I did not sit on my butt and blog all day about it, to the contrary, I worked side construction jobs, weekend nights at a restaurant, and evolved my advising practice into more strategic long term retirement planning, as you boomers are the only ones with any money, but of course, most of it was and still is on the sidelines, in fact, a record, $9 trillion or more sits dormant in money markets and CDS, as people work thru their fears of market volatility. But I did whatever I needed to do to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. Again, in a bygone era, this was something that was commended. During this time I entered into troubled loan status with Bank of America. I applied 7 or more times for a modification with them only to be denied. Until the last time, when I was granted a modification with them and am currently in good standing on my way back to being whole. The legal notice in the paper, was a ” Servicemembers Civil Relief Act” notice which is served in troubled mortgages but doesn’t mention the good standing modification, as in a HUGE bank like B of A, one hand doesn’t see what the other is doing. So there it is boys in black and white for your derision, speculation, dart board material, OR your honest assessment of who Eric J Vincelette is as a person. I hope this puts this issue to rest for you. It does for me.
I also wanted to congratulate, David Roche and John McNinch for their victory in the election and thank Kim Flynn for her years of service to the town of Lenox. One thing I am proud of is how hard I worked, how many great people I met and that I feel I drove the issues of unfunded liabilities, health insurance costs, etc. I am only going to be getting more engaged in town going forward. I also think that the fact , whether its old guard, new guard, whatever it is, at least Lenox has a guard of people that care about its town, compared to so many others whose races go unopposed year after year.

You write above, “In fact, I actually tried to reach out to Dan about 5 days or so before the debate to make him aware of a potential issue of mine that had come out , that I thought he should be aware of as moderator, so he had the facts….”

Eris You don’t have to explain your personal life,just because some jack-ass(heller) does not have a life of his own.You are one of millions of americians that got caught in this lousy economy.I don’t know you,but think you will have no problem getting everything back in order.Wish you and your family the best.I will be voting for your dad,class act.

Eric was running for selectman in a small town.He did not win.He should not have to explain himself to you or anybody else for that matter.It must be nice to be so perfect.Remember Sen.Kennedy was a raging drunk womanizer who left a young lady to die,but he had no problem getting elected.Welcome to politics.

Your not alone Eric, and if my comments offended you or anyone in your family I apoligize. The vote had already been taken and it was Mr. Heller who unearthed what I look back on as inconsequential scuttlebutt. I have always liked your father also and would vote for him. Quite frankly, I would have voted for you, also. Hell, didn’t Donald Trump liquidate and bankrupt several times. Mr. Heller should put a lid on it because the other candidate along with millions of Americans have done the same thing. The problem is sometimes the Planet can’t have it, both ways.

@John,
You think Lenox voters (and other Lenoxologists) should not have been made aware of debt information on file at MassLandRecords.com regarding selectmen candidate Eric Vincelette?
You find Mr. Vincelette’s financial problems “inconsequential”?
Even giving to Mr. Vincelette the benefit of the doubt regarding his explanations above regarding his debt problems and efforts to get his financial house in order, how does someone so ‘underwater’ financially have the time necessary to be Selectman?
Being Selectman, if not a full-time job, can still take up extensive time every week that does not end at the close of each week’s board meeting.

JOHN
Careful, because Mr. Heller may not like you bringing this up about The Donald. The Donald is a Republican (we think!) and I guess that’s enough to make him sainted in Mr. Heller’s view. Or am I missing something in Heller’s support of Perry Combover?

Mr. Valenti,
You got me all wrong, my support is reserved for Conservative Republicans running for President.
As for Donald Trump, I want to hear what Trump’s private investigators dug up on Barack Obama, especially as regards his eligibility to reside in The White House, or is that a subject in which you have no interest?

Mr. Valenti,
On the eve of the Lenox election, and after taking such a large role in that election by hosting a ‘beer hall’ debate at the Lenox Public Library, you then turned mysteriously silent when issues were raised regarding one of the candidates you endorsed.
Why was there zero response from you regarding Eric Vincelette’s recent financial problems when documents surfaced on PlanetValenti the day BEFORE the Lenox election — especially since it was you who, in the words of poster Matt Noves, “grilled (candidate) Roche over a bankrupcy from 20 years ago that Roche was already out of”?

GMH
The “issue” was a non-issue in my judgment. As such it did not rate comment or valuable column inches. Matt Noves may believe what he wishes, but The Planet did not spend time “grilling” Dave Roche about Cranwell. We asked it as a question, Mr. Roche answered it to our satisfaction, and we moved the debate forward. You would do better letting go of this and use your prolific energies elsewhere, elsewhen, on elsewho. Of course, if you wish to look for “conspiracies” in this or other actions, please do so. You won’t find a thing.

We appreciate Mr. Vincelette’s statement, and we shall be running that as a guest post on tomorrow’s Planet. He is, after all, the most qualified person to address this and other issues, including his relationship to The Planet. What he says may not appease the conspiracy people, but it does appease those who want the sober, objective truth.

Mr. Valenti,
You write:
“The ‘issue’ was a non-issue in my judgment. As such it did not rate comment or valuable column inches.”

Your political judgment requires tweeking.
That ‘non-issue’ appears to have been significant not only to voters (who disregarded PlanetValenti’s support for candidate Eric Vincelette) but also to readers of PlanetValenti, a few of whom even commented on your mysterious all-day absence in the face of the MassLandRecords.com data.

@Josh,
So yesterday of all days, election day in Lenox, and after holding a publicized debate querying the Selectmen candidates, Mr. Valenti, faced with official documentation unfavorable to his favored candidate, decides to take a powder (though choosing indeed to respond to a few other posted comments that day).
Sounds to me like Mr. Valenti is playing games.
Further, Mr. Valenti has yet to expalin how someone who is financially underwater would have the time to volunteer for the time-consuming job of Selectman.

Have you EVEN watched the debate in question? or is it all second hand to you? If that was a “grilling” then the meat was clearly undercooked. It was posed as a question that was dug up, answered clearly by the candidate, Mr Roch, accepted by the moderator, Mr Valenti and then moved on. I think Mr Noyes has some alterior motives in supporting the Lenox GOB network, maybe it’s because he is a Pittsfield Firefighter who lives in Lenox who knows , is my take as an observer who is new to this blog. Also, I attended the other debate at the library and had a friend who went to the Community Center debate and she said both moderators, Bob Romeo and Kim Graham were clearly leaning and favoring Mcninch and Roch…just an observation I’d thought Id share for what its worth

Ummm, pretty sure everyone knows who I am, BECAUSE , I say who I am! What I brought up was only because Dan decided to throw out an issue that was 20 yrs old that Roche In fact,was actually out of.with no mention of his candidates financial problems. I never meant to hurt Eric ( and family) personally! My comments were based on Valenti’s blog and should be consideres as such. I took Dan to task,as would anyone else.. As for me… What alterior motive could I possibly have? Please tell me? Oh and how about you post your real name cause otherwise your a coward!

Not surprised your back on this subject and have every right. You bring up a great point, like some say, you can’t have it both ways. Even the PPD seems to be taking it easy on the Planet. The bottom line not to be so harsh on Mr. Vincelette, look at our politicians.. Kerry even tried to dock his yacht to ascound paying bigger docking fees. Your issue should be with the Planet which respect would be in order, if you kept it there!.

NFM
My, how you certainly seem to be possessed of the ability to look into The Planet’s soul, and thus be able to fathom out the heart that is behind the claims.

I do not draw defensive perimeters around my words, spoken, broadcast, written or otherwise. They can speak for themselves.
You will notice the banner at the top of every story I write: “THE PLANET: VOICE OF THE LITTLE GUY”. That remains my constituency. Perhaps, for some prejudiced reason, you can’t admit it?

Mr. Valenti:
Bottom line: How can a candidate underwater financially have the time necessary to volunteer as a Selectman, and why didn’t you vet the guy you were trying to foist on Lenox voters?
Maybe YOU, in your words, “would do better letting go of this and use your prolific energies elsewhere, elsewhen, on elsewho”.
Mr. Valenti, recommend you stick to what you know, that being Pittsfield and local media.

Just because someone has financial difficulties does not mean they are not competent in their field and did not manage their finances properly. The financial meltdown negatively affected many people who were quite competent as financial advisors. The total lack of logic in automatically linking the 2 is typical of the narrow minds who contribute to this blog.

@Randy,
Are you willing to make the same excuses for the executives at AIG, Citibank, FannieMae and FreddieMac whose bad decisions caused their respective business entities and shareholers to suffer greatly during the financial meltdown?
If you are gonna give Eric Vincelette a pass, you gotta give the same pass to those who screwed-up in the big companies.

It’s an old saying but Warren Buffett repeated it most recently, “When the tide goes out is when you see who is swimming naked.”
Mr. Vincelette can make all the excuses he wishes for his circumstances but he plainly did not place himself in a financial position where someone knowledgable about money should have been.
Do you doubt me?

@GMHeller. Please go away. I’m all for free speech, however your tired posts are wearing heavily on me. I no longer read the vitriol posts. We know where your head is at, so to speak, so maybe it’s time to limit yourself to Topix or whatever blog you chose.

@Eric Vincelette. Wonderful explanation, however troublesome that one would have to go to such extremes to defend themselves. This is a private matter that should stay private. It really is no one’s business. Many people in the last few years have fallen into the same trap. Falling valuations, decreased income, illness, etc. You were not looking to manage millons as a treasurer, but to serve as a selectman (a thankless job at best). Good luck in your future endeavors, in and out of the political arena.

@Dee,
Thank you for your appreciation of free speech and sorry to hear how tired you are, but once Eric Vincelette failed to make his auto payment, failed to make his mortgage payment, and failed to make his credit card payment, and once all those creditors were forced to go to court to enforce their rights, that is when Mr. Vincelette himself made this a public matter — hence the documents filed with the Registry of Deeds.
Further, once Mr. Vincelette chose to become a candidate, he took himself out of the realm of private citizen and became a ‘public’ person and so his history for better or worse is fair game.
Dee, you also fail to answer the obvious question:
How the hell does someone underwater financially have the time available to devote to being a volunteer Selectman?
Ask any Selectman just how many hours a week the job actually takes and you just might be surprised at the amount of work and effort involved.

Heller, I agree that once he (Vincelette) made himself a public figure he was fair game, but he lost the election, so please enough. Leave the guy alone. He didn’t win, so therefore; it doesn’t matter how much time he would have spent as a selectman. If you need an answer, it’s the same amount of time you and I will spend as selectmen in Lenox.

@Jim Gleasen,
It’s Eric Vincelette, not me, who has chosen to post his ‘mea culpa’ on PlanetValenti.
As you say, “He didn’t win”.
So why now does he feel it necessary to explan that which he should have explained, and certainly had ample time to explain, BEFORE the election?
Further, the angry anonymous Liberals posting on Planet Valenti about this matter are obviously upset because their candidate didn’t win.
Would they prefer that the information on MassLandRecords.com had been kept from voters?
Plus, Jim Gleason, you too fail to answer the simple question:
How does a guy financially underwater have the time required to be a volunteer Selectman?

@GMHeller – I now see what some of your problems are. You don’t comprehend what you read.

*I am not tired. Your posts are tired.
*Yes Mr. Vincelette’s financial matters are public record but it does not mean it is germane to his ability to be a selectman.
*He has worked his way through some of his financial issues and continues to work on them, by his own admission.
*How he manages his time is his concern, not mine or yours. Some of us in the real world are able to own/manage our own businesses, have a family life and be able to contribute time to our various towns and cities. Time management tools are available if you need to find better ways to handle your own affairs.

Heller is tiresome. Noto is a juveniule bore who like to play Knights of the roudtable dressing in his ridiculous cistume and holding his swoard. His envy of Mr Planet is palpable.
@ Eric V: Well done. You ran a good race. Yu explanation answers all the questions.

Every business loses money in the short-term. Finances are not always growing. Billionaires even lose money. Compounding interest works over the long-term. The envelope “rule of 72” states that the interest yield on your finances divided by “72” equals the number of years your money doubles. So if I earn an interest yield of 6% on $10,000 principal, it will take an estimated 12 years for my money to double. 72/6=12. Over 60 years, my $10,000 will equal $160,000. I may lose money in the short-term, but over the long-term, I will be secure with an equitable savings in my retirement or old-age. The Stock Market may lose money in the short-term, but over the long-term it grows.

Interesting comments coming from someone with your checkered history, at best, Mr Heller. Word on the street has you the brother of one Phil Heller, Esquire, of Heller and Robbins Law Firm, in guess where, LENOX , MA where one Kim Flynn, former Lenox Selectman, is head paralegal. Unbelievable!! Seems like your doing the bidding of your brother and his crusty circle, who supported the losing incumbent. little ole innocent Kimberly Flynn, is really run by a bunch of dirty. power hungry, angry old men. Do you doubt me? At least the candidate answered and owned up to his past and current situation, with guts and class which, from what I have heard from many on this blog you have failed numerous times to do on your shady past and ghost like present circumstances. But that doesn’t seem enough for you, is it Mr Heller, you irrelevant, sad, and lonely old man, as you continue to grasp for some type of light in your dark, scary world. And funny thing is , I voted for Roche and McNinch…You seem like you need a hug sir, as pnly a woman can tell when someone is just so torn up inside, that they have to lash out at people and make them all appear inferior so that they themselves can feel better about themself. If no one is there to hug you sir, then give yourself a hug. I can see it now, you in your underwear, blogging like your King of the World, all alone in your cave somewhere because the folks in Berkshire County and Stockbridge chased you out of the County. A funny sight indeed. LOL

Lenox Voter,
You bring up some very interesting points> so why hide behind the pen? why not throw it all to see? Then, we can make changes and improvements. I put my name out there.. jump in the water is nice! COWARD

Using your name on this blog is admitting to the world that a part of you follows are narcissistic blowhard and are thus exposed to the possibility of validating such arrogance. Too, using your name on this blog associates you with more than a handful of morons, buffoons, idiots, etc.

Don’t be too proud about using your name – now everyone knows the type of people you associate yourself with. Even if it’s only electronic, it’s embarrassing.

@Lenox Voter,
You write:
“Word on the street has you the brother of one Phil Heller, Esquire, of Heller and Robbins Law Firm, in guess where, LENOX , MA where one Kim Flynn, former Lenox Selectman, is head paralegal.”

Anonymous Angry Liberal (likely Green Party) ‘Lenox Voter’, please, PLEASE, telephone tomorrow morning to the law firm of Heller & Robbins in Lenox.
Ask to speak with Phil Heller; read to him what you just wrote, and ask him to please comment.
Then, please, PLEASE, post his response here on Planet Valenti for all to read.
Can you do that?

Its a simple question mr. Heller: Is Phil Heller your brother or are you related in any way? Are you the Glenn Heller from Stockbridge then Montery, who got into a ton of trouble for gasoline price gouging?
Q to Dan why don’t you get into gmh’s legal problems with the gas and with the reported stalking indicdent?

@Obie:
You need to do your own research.
You need to contact lawyer and Lenoxologist Phil Heller and pose to him the questions you are asking here.
Just phone him right now, THIS MINUTE, ask him your probing questions and then post his responsive remarks here so all of PlanetValenti’s brilliant Liberals and Green Party Einsteins can read for themselves Lenoxologist Heller’s lawyerly responses.
Do it NOW!

OBIE
It’s up to Mr. Heller to respond to your good question about a relationship with Phil Heller, the noted attorney.
As for Glenn’s alleged “problems,” I have no interest in that subject. They aren’t germane for me. Simple as that. I find GMH to be strident, at times overly so, but he comes at issues with honesty, as far as I can tell, for the most part.

@Mr. Valenti,
It’s not up to me to do anything; it’s up to those who are asking questions to do their research.
As stated before, recommend a phone call to the law offices of Phil Heller and a faithful reproduction of Mr. Heller’s responses to questions.

I don’t put my name out there sir because I am not a woman who can afford to have my name appear in this type of blog. I have been in Lenox my whole life and from everyone I talked to , Mr Vincelette is a genuine, intelligent, hard working young man, who loves his kids and actually had something to offer our town. But I heard some of townies treated him pretty shabbily, while I KNOW some voted for him over the others, but were afraid to show public support for him after being bullied by the kind of ugly small town politics that happens behind the scenes. It just seems like some people are so twisted that they can’t actually see a decent person when presented with one. I didn’t vote for him cause I’d like to see him get a bit more seasoning but I will say if he toughs it out over the next year, after all the BS he went thru for eveing daring to run, stays and gets more involved I will strongly consider voting for him if he decides to run again. Just because someone is not from Lenox or is having current difficulties doesn’t mean they are bad or incompetent, in fact, I am concerned when a public official, who hasn’t had to tighten his or her belt before or who can’t take a punch is in office because they wilt at the first sign of pressure. With what I have heard about Mr Vincelette and how he reached out to people and how he conducted himself with class , I have no doubt he is intelligent, has guts and is genuine.